For Parents

• What can I do to help my child lead a healthier lifestyle?
• Overwieght/Obese Parents
• Parenting Style
• Parental and Activity Habits
• Risk Factors from Pregnancy
• Diabetes During Pregnancy (AKA Gestational Diabetes)
• Low Birth Weight
• Excess Weight Gain During Pregnancy
• Formula Feeding

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE?

1. Choose what children can eat
   • What foods and drinks are in the home, what foods and drinks are served at meals and snacks, what restaurants they go to, etc.
   • Among these foods parents should allow kids to choose whether they eat at all and how much to eat (this provides children with a sense of control over what they eat).
2. Make fruits and vegetables more available than high calorie snack foods at home
   • These foods are often high in fat and sugar.
   • If children eat healthy foods at home, they are more likely to eat them at school, friends' houses, etc.
3. Serve and eat a variety of foods from each food group
   • The more colorful the plate, the healthier it tends to be.
4. Use small portions
   • Child portions are usually very small, particularly compared to adult portions.
   • This prevents children from over-eating when they need to "clean their plate." They can always go back for more.
   • Using child-size divided plates helps with portion control.
5. Bake, broil, roast or grill meats instead of frying them.
   • These are healthier options for all family members.
   • These methods tend to allow the fat to "cook off."
6. Limit use of high calorie, high fat and high sugar sauces and spreads.
   • Find healthier options for butter, mayonnaise, jelly, etc.
7. Use low-fat or nonfat dairy products.
8. Support participation, not competition
   • This includes play, sports and other physical activity at school, church or in community leagues.
   • Children who are encouraged to participate are more active and enjoy themselves more than children who think they have to play to win.
   • This promotes both physical and mental health for children, which is important to their development.
9. Be active as a family.
   • Go on a walk, bike ride, swim or hike together.
   • Limit TV time, especially on school days.
10. Avoid eating while watching TV.
    • TV viewers may eat too much, too fast, and are influenced by the foods and drinks that are advertised.
    • TV viewers also tend to eat out of boredom, not hunger.
    • This is a learned activity for children.
11. Replace high-sugar drinks, especially sodas, with water and/or low fat milk.
12. Limit fruit juice intake to two servings or less per day (one serving = 3/4 cup).
    • Many parents allow their children unlimited intake of fruit juice (100%) because of the accompanying vitamins and minerals.
    • Children who drink too much fruit juice may be consuming excess calories.
13. Encourage free play in young children and provide an environment that allows children to play indoors and outdoors.
    • If you don't have a safe place for your child to play indoors or out, talk to you local school or community center about partnering with the neighborhood to allow use after hours.
14. Role model healthy dietary practices, nutritional snacks, and lifestyle activities.
    • Avoid badgering children, restrictive feeding, labeling foods as "good" or "bad," and using food as a reward.

OVERWEIGHT/OBESE PARENTS

Children of obese parents are more likely to be overweight or obese themselves. There is an inherited component to childhood overweight/obesity that makes it easier for some children to become overweight compared to their peers. Children with this risk factor will only become overweight if they consume more calories than they use (Calories in must equal calories out to maintain weight, calories in must be less than calories out to lose weight). Parental obesity may also reflect a family environment that promotes excess eating and insufficient activity.

Not sure if your child is overweight? Use this BMI calculator.

PARENTING STYLE

Some researchers believe that parents who overly control their children's eating habits may contribute to obesity by preventing children from being able to learn how to regulate what they eat. In other words, restricting everything your child eats as a method of preventing weight gain is just as harmful as letting children eat whatever they want.

PARENTAL EATING AND ACTIVITY HABITS

Parents with poor eating habits and who are inactive (i.e. spend a lot of time sitting or lying instead of moving and playing) role model these behaviors for their children.

RISK FACTORS FROM PREGNANCY

It is now believed that a mother's health during pregnancy can affect the child throughout his or her lifetime, providing more evidence that a healthy pregnancy leads to a healthier life for mother and baby.

DIABETES DURING PREGNANCY (AKA Gestational Diabetes)

Overweight and type 2 diabetes in children occur with greater frequency in the children of diabetic mothers (who are also more likely to be obese).

LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

Low birth weight is suggested as a risk factor for childhood overweight/obesity in several studies, possibly due to parents over-feeding these children so they will "catch up" with their peers.

EXCESS WEIGHT GAIN DURING PREGNANCY

Several studies have shown that mothers who gain too much weight during pregnancy have children with an increased birth weight that become overweight later in life. These children never lose their "baby fat."

Additionally, mothers who are overweight or obese at the start of pregnancy increase their child's risk of birth defects, diabetes, and low or excessive birth weight.

FORMULA FEEDING

Breast feeding is generally recommended over formula feeding, especially in the first 6 months of life. Several studies suggest that breast feeding may prevent excess weight gain as children grow if the mother maintains a healthy diet while breast feeding (if you ate healthy during pregnancy and plan to breastfeed, continuing the same diet will provide all the nutrients you and baby need).

RESOURCES FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

American Heart Association: Healthy Lifestyle Tools

We CAN!: Ways to enhance activity and nutrition

Childhood and Juvenile Obesity: Tips for Parents (focus on low-income families)

Mayo Clinic: Making weight loss a family affair

SparkPeople: Healthy lifestyle tools and plans (Free!)

American Diabetes Association Family Link

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Resources